Conan Exiles Thralls Guide 2026: How to Capture, Break and Use Thralls

Conan Exiles thralls are NPCs you knock out with a truncheon, tie up with bindings and drag back to your base. On the Wheel of Pain you break their will, and after that they work for you as fighters, crafters or support. Gruel is the go-to food for the wheel, and the best combat thralls are named tier 4 thralls like the Cimmerian Berserker, Dalinsia Snowhunter or the Arena Champion.

⚔️ What are Conan Exiles thralls?

Thralls are NPCs in the game world that you can knock unconscious, bind and bring to your base. There you break their will on the Wheel of Pain, and after that they work for you. Depending on the type, a thrall becomes a fighter, a crafter or a support thrall.

🔗 What you need to capture thralls

Before you can capture your first thrall, you need the following:

• Truncheon: for knocking targets out (it deals concussive damage, not normal damage)
• Bindings: for dragging the thrall away
• Wheel of Pain: for breaking their will
• Food: keeps the process going (Gruel is ideal)

Important: Normal weapons kill the NPC. You absolutely need a concussive weapon.

📦 All recipes to unlock

Size matters too: the Lesser Wheel of Pain holds 1 thrall, the Wheel of Pain 4 and the Greater Wheel of Pain up to 8.

🧪 Step by step: how to capture a thrall

1. Pick a target. Find an NPC you want as a thrall.

2. Knock them out. Equip your truncheon and hit the NPC until their concussion bar is empty.

3. Bind them. Use the bindings on the unconscious NPC. They follow you tied up.

4. Bring them to the Wheel of Pain. Drag the bound thrall straight to your wheel.

5. Break their will. Put Gruel into the Wheel of Pain. It is the standard food for breaking thralls.

6. Put your thrall to work. Gear them up and place them, or let them follow you.

⏱️ How long breaking a thrall takes

According to community data, a named tier 4 thrall needs 3,600 seconds (1 hour) on the wheel without help. With a named Taskmaster on the wheel, that drops to 1,440 seconds (24 minutes). That is why the Taskmaster should be the first thrall you break. Expensive food doesn't shorten the wait, so cheap Gruel made from plant fiber and seeds is all you need.

The walk home is the other big time sink. If you farm thralls far from your base, for example in the Unnamed City, place a wheel right at the edge of that area. It saves you a long trip with an unconscious captive behind you, and you can collect the broken thralls later.

📊 The most important thrall types

The game has 13 professions in total. The complete list with all their workbenches is in our Conan Exiles thrall professions guide. The most important ones at a glance:

Important for returning players: since the old Update 2.1 from October 28, 2020 (not to be confused with the Enhanced patch 2.1.0 from August 2026), crafter thralls no longer speed up crafting. According to Funcom, the tier and type of the crafting bench decide crafting speed, material cost and fuel burn time. Crafter thralls bring specializations instead, such as extra armor penetration or damage on the weapons they forge.

💡 The tier system

• Tier 1: the weakest version
• Tier 2: better, found in larger camps
• Tier 3: strong, found in guarded areas
• Tier 4: the strongest, each with a personal name

🏆 The best combat thralls in 2026

• Cimmerian Berserker: the strongest melee fighter
• Dalinsia Snowhunter: a top-tier fighter
• Arena Champion: one of the very best fighters

Locations, multipliers and leveling food for the top fighters are in our Conan Exiles best thralls guide.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Thralls in Conan Exiles

What do I need to capture a thrall?

A truncheon to knock the target out, bindings to drag it away, a Wheel of Pain to break its will and food like Gruel to keep the process running.

Why can't I use a normal weapon to capture thralls?

Normal weapons kill the NPC. To capture a thrall you need a concussive weapon like the truncheon.

Which food should I put in the Wheel of Pain?

Gruel or almost any other food. According to the Conan Exiles Wiki, the type of food doesn't change how long breaking takes; it only keeps the wheel running. A Taskmaster on the wheel is what speeds things up.

Which combat thralls are the best in 2026?

The Cimmerian Berserker, Dalinsia Snowhunter and the Arena Champion are among the strongest fighters.

Do the Cook and the Blacksmith make crafting faster?

No, not since Update 2.1 from October 2020. Speed depends on the tier and type of the bench. Crafter thralls are still worth it because they bring recipes and specialization bonuses.

🔗 Keep reading on banrado

• Conan Exiles best fighter thralls
• Conan Exiles thrall professions: all 13 jobs
• Conan Exiles attributes: Authority and every other perk
• Conan Exiles Strength build

✅ Bottom line

You won't get far in Conan Exiles without thralls. Start with a Taskmaster, because every catch after that goes faster. Then go after named tier 4 fighters for your Authority build, and keep the Wheel of Pain stocked with cheap Gruel. More guides on the Conan Exiles overview.

As of October 11, 2026 (Conan Exiles Enhanced, patch 3.0.0 from October 6, 2026 with hotfix 3.0.1 from October 8, 2026). Item and building names were checked against Funcom's patch notes, the Enhanced item database conanexiles.gaming.tools and the player-maintained Conan Exiles Wiki on Fandom, which also covers breaking times and food in the wheel. The crafter thrall change was checked against Funcom's official Update 2.1 announcement. Thrall rankings are community assessments.